Field of Invention
At least one embodiment of the present invention relates generally to condensate collection devices and more specifically to condensate collection systems for variable height coil assemblies for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) devices.
Discussion of Related Art
Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) devices are used for a wide variety of climate control applications to regulate temperature or humidity levels of a particular environment such as a data center. During cooling operations of such HVAC equipment, condensation may form on the coils (for example evaporator coils) of an air conditioning unit depending on temperature and humidity levels of the environment. As hot air is drawn across the colder coils and heat extracted from the environment, condensate may form. This condensate generally flows down or off the coils depending on the coil orientation due to the force of gravity. This condensate may then be collected into a device such as a reservoir, to prevent damage to the surrounding environment or the coils themselves due to subsequent freezing of the condensate on the coils. Any such reservoir must be emptied periodically to avoid overflow and damage to the nearby environment, should the reservoir overflow.
It is advantageous to reduce the condensate levels on the coils to prevent any potential for freezing of the condensate and subsequent coil damage. It is also advantageous to collect the condensate as quickly as possible from the coils as relatively large condensate droplets may be formed as condensate is accumulated while it runs down the coil. As these increasingly large droplets fall the length of the coil, they become heavy, take flight, and may be expressed from the HVAC equipment along with the conditioned air. This effect of “water carry over” or “condenser blow-off” may put nearby sensitive equipment at risk if condensate is expressed before it is collected.
Finally, as a result of their construction, many condensate collection devices may allow for a mixing of conditioned and unconditioned air. Due to this mixing, the overall efficiency of the HVAC equipment may be reduced substantially as warm intake air from the entering air side is mixed with exiting cool air from the leaving air side. Eliminating any mixing air as a result of the construction of a condensate collection device will allow efficiency gains for the HVAC equipment.